As the high school basketball season nears its conclusion, the Chadron Cardinals hosted the Douglas Bearcats from Wyoming on Tuesday night for a girls and boys doubleheader, Chadrad reports.
The Douglas girls team dominated 74-17, while the Chadron boys team secured a 67-59 victory in a competitive matchup.
The girls’ game featured a special coaching matchup between Kelsey Scott, head coach of Chadron High, and her younger sister Kassidy Johnson, head coach of Douglas. The Bearcats took control early, leading 27-5 after the first quarter and 50-12 at halftime before finishing with a 74-17 win.
For Chadron, Gracie Calkins led the team with four points, while Cali Hendrickson and Sophie Watson each added three. Jezy Alcorn, Beau Behrends, Rylan Barry, and Jacey Turman also contributed.
The boys’ game was a high-energy contest with a packed home crowd backing Chadron. After a tight first quarter, the Cardinals gained momentum in the second, fueled by a series of three-pointers and clutch free-throw shooting. A turning point came when the Douglas coach received two technical fouls in quick succession, leading to four successful free throws by Brady Daniels and sparking a 10-point Chadron lead. The Cardinals extended their advantage to 20 points at halftime thanks to a 35-foot buzzer-beater from Thomas Smith.
Douglas fought back in the second half, cutting the lead down to a single possession before Chadron pulled away late to win 67-59.
Smith led Chadron with 24 points, including six three-pointers, while Daniels contributed 20 points. Tobin Landen (12), Derek Bissonette (8), and Talon Jelinek (3) rounded out the scoring.
With the result, the Chadron girls team moves to 11-11, while the boys improve to 11-10. Their home finale is set for Friday against Sidney, with junior varsity action starting at 3 p.m., followed by boys varsity at 4:30 p.m. and girls varsity afterward.
